In a large pot, melt the butter and sprinkle in the flour. In a small bowl, beat the egg. The macaroni should be too firm to eat right out of the pot. Cook the macaroni until very firm.And it’s not just possible: it’s also enjoyable, delightful, quick, easy, and, ummmm, way more delicious than that boxed stuff.So in this post, I’ve put together a macaroni and cheese masterclass that takes you through the eight components of perfect mac and cheese – from pasta shapes to sauce technique to mix-ins and bread crumbs to the kitchen equipment I swear by.Note: I’ve included my favorite pastas, cheeses, tips, and toppings here, but this is definitely not the end-all-be-all list of macaroni and cheese variations. For those who grew up on the ultra-Americanized boxed mac and cheese, the idea of whipping up a luscious cheese sauce from scratch can be a little intimidating.But with the right techniques, homemade mac and cheese is totally, completely, 100% possible. It’s also one of the foods I get the most questions about from friends and readers. Radiator pasta from Sfoglini and Murrays best and most delicious cheeses.Mac and cheese is pretty definitively one of the greatest foods of all time. Stir together pasta and cheese sauce until well combined.Meet Murrays Mac & Cheese, a destination for everything macaroni and cheese. Drain into a colander and rinse under cold water until cool, then drain again.The best pasta for mac and cheese has deep grooves, pockets, and ridges – these features help each noodle catch as much cheese sauce as possible. While macaroni pasta is probably the most famous mac-to-the-cheese, it’s definitely not the only noodle in the sea (noodle in the sauce?)When selecting your pasta for macaroni and cheese, look for shapes with plenty of texture. STEP 1: CHOOSE THE RIGHT PASTA FOR YOUR MAC AND CHEESE.When discussing mac and cheese, it makes sense to start with the mac.STEP 2: CHOOSE THE RIGHT CHEESE.Cheese-ing up a macaroni and cheese sauce is an art form. The pasta will continue to cook in the oven, so by putting slightly undercooked pasta into the oven you ensure a perfectly al dente end result. Don’t worry too much about finding the right pasta name – instead, focus on looking for short, textured pasta with lots of grooves to hold that bomb-diggity cheese sauce you’re about to make.Always cook your pasta in very salty water – the salt makes a huge difference in flavoring the noodles! Boil pasta until it’s al dente – Italian for to the tooth – and has a slight bite left to it.If you plan on baking your mac and cheese, cook pasta 3 to 4 minutes LESS than al dente. My favorite pasta shapes for mac and cheese are in the graphic below!Keep in mind that different brands have different names and labels for similarly-shaped pastas.
(Fortunately, I figured out the ratio and ended up with a pretty awesome Black and Blue Mac and Cheese, PHEW). Use a sturdy box grater to shred a block of cheese or go full cheese-ster with the shredding disc of a food processor (more details in the equipment section below!).Taste as you go. The first time I added blue cheese to a mac and cheese sauce, I dumped in a verrrrrry generous handful of the stuff. Your favorite everyday cheeses are just fine! DO, however, look for aged cheddar and parmesan (you know how aged cheddar tastes a lot more like “BOOM! I’M CHEDDAR!” than run-of-the-mill sandwich cheese? That’s what you’re looking for in a cheese sauce).Shred your own cheese. Ever look at the ingredients list on the back of pre-shredded cheese? It’s usually “cheese,” (of course) followed by a whooooole bunch of other stuff. This is bad for two reasons: (1) preservative chemicals are gross and I don’t like it when they’re all over my food and (2) the chemicals they put on pre-shredded cheese often prevent it from melting smoothly. I’ve highlighted some of my favorites in the below graphic, but the possibilities are endless!Expensive cheese does not equal delicious cheese sauce. Don’t blow your budget on an extra-fancy cheese that’s just going to get melted into oblivion and smeared all over a pile of carbs. Converting flac to mp3 for macSome of my favorite combinations include Gruyere + Fontina + White Cheddar, Smoked Gouda + Sharp Cheddar, Goat Cheese + Havarti, and Pepper Jack + White Cheddar.Don’t be afraid to keep it simple. Cheeses like white cheddar, havarti, and fontina are great mild cheeses to use alongside those stronger flavors. For the perfect flavor combination, choose a cheese you want to highlight and complement it with mild flavors that lend depth and creaminess to your sauce without obscuring the cheese on display. You can always add more cheese!Balance strong flavors with mild ones. I love the strong flavors of smoked gouda, pepper jack, blue cheese, and gruyere, but it’s easy to go overboard and end up overpowering the distinct flavor you’re going for. Stir a little bit of cheese into the sauce, then taste it to see how the flavors are developing. (See the video at the end of this post for a demo!)Before you add the pasta or any mix-ins, take stock of your sauce and make sure it’s behaving itself. Cook for a minute or two until roux has thickened and is fragrant, then whisk constantly as you slowly add in the liquid. I like to use a 1:1 ratio of butter to flour (so, if you use 3 tablespoons of butter, you would also use 3 tablespoons of flour). (Totally Rad Roux Tip: You can tell the roux is done when it smells like toasted almonds).The cooked roux then acts as a thickening agent when whisked into milk – it’s what helps the béchamel achieve a thick, creamy consistency. Basic béchamel is used as a base for all kinds of sauces (but personally, I think a rich macaroni and cheese sauce is the best of all béchamel spinoffs).To make a great cheese sauce: Melt butter over medium heat, then whisk in some flour. It’s a simple, easy way to elevate a quick dinner. STEP 4: VEGETABLE ADD-INS.I guess we’ll talk about vegetables (plus the ever-annoying fruit-tomato, which yes I still included in the veggie graphic) for a second here, because “health food” or whatever.I actually really love mixing vegetables (and fruit-tomatoes) into macaroni and cheese. Remove the sauce from the heat and give it a zap with an immersion blender (or blend it in batches with a regular blender) to smooth it out and bring it back to the proper creamy consistency.When you’re happy with your sauce, stir in the cooked pasta along with any veggies or protein you like.BOOM! You = MAC AND CHEESE CHAMPION. Sometimes the cheese and the milk just don’t want to be friends, and your sauce turns out a little…gloopy. Fortunately, there’s a trick to fix that, too! ⬇Grainy or separated sauce? It happens to the best of us. (This is also a great trick for reheating mac and cheese – if you’re microwaving leftovers and the sauce seems to have dried up, stir a splash of milk or half-and-half into the pasta to bring the sauce back to life!)Sauce too thin? Add another handful of cheese! You can also return the sauce to the heat and let it simmer until it thickens, but this can cause the cheese to separate. Best Cheese &Amp; Cheese Skin Has CharredRoughly chop some arugula, spinach, basil, parsley, or cilantro and stir it into your cheese sauce. Peel the skin off, remove the seeds, and dice it up.Chopped things. Put hot pepper (carefully! With tongs!) into a bowl and cover it with plastic wrap until it’s cool enough to handle. Roast a poblano, jalapeno, or bell pepper at 400 degrees F until the skin has charred. Blanch some broccoli florets, peas, cauliflower, or corn in boiling water for a minute or two (I actually like to add these veggies in with the pasta when it has about 2 minutes of cook time left!)Roasted peppers. Yes?Stir these mix-ins right into the sauce at the same time you add the pasta, top each serving with a spoonful of your chosen accoutrement, or build a DIY-mac-and-cheese-bar with veggies (and protein, below) to let guests customize their own mac and cheeseperiences.Some of my favorite veggie-tastic additions:Blanched veggies.
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